Malvin Artley has been a practising astrologer for more than 10 years. He is an
accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers.
Malvin is the author of Bodies of Fire: An Exploration of the Lesser Chakra System. He has authored numerous articles and was a member of the faculty of the University of the Seven Rays, a non-profit organization dedicated to the teaching of the Trans-Himalayan tradition as expressed through the books of Alice Bailey, Helena Blavatsky and others.His primary focus over the past 25 years has been on the sciences as they express occultism and with bridging work between the two. His
special interests are the human subtle energy system and all
the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all
aspects of Chinese occultism. He has done extensive work with Chinese
astrology and the cycles they use and seeks to synthesize the great
Western and Oriental systems on such matters.Malvin lives in Adelaide, South Australia. He also works in the engineering trades and sends out periodic emails about astrological happenings and developments. Click here to subscribe to Malvin's periodic letters.

Virgo's Moon:The Virgo Solar FestivalSubtle Meanings of the Full Moon in Pisces 2006

Malvin Artley, our regular esoteric commentator examines the subtle meaning of the Full Moon in Pisces for 2006, the Virgo Solar Festival. This is Virgo's Full Moon, as the Moon is full in the sign opposing the Sun. The full moon of Virgo (full moon in Pisces) takes place on the 7th of September at 06:43 PM GMT, associated with a Lunar Eclipse.

Greetings Everyone!

Spring has finally arrived here in Adelaide and if the first day is any indication, it should be a marvelous season! In celebration the other day I went out and did something really wild and crazy – I bought myself a push-bike (bicycle). That is not such a big thing to most people, but for me not having been on one in the past 35 years, it was quite a major step. I had been thinking about the 'state of my union', so-to-speak, and decided it was time I got some regular exercise. Sitting in front of the computer writing astrological letters is great for one's psyche, but it does little for the general condition of one's soma.

Of course, doing such a thing brought back all sorts of memories from my childhood. There was a whole gang of us boys in the neighborhood where I grew up and we would ride all over creation on our bikes, getting into all the usual mischief that boys seem to do so well. If our parents had had any inkling of what we got up to and how far we used to ride away from home they would have grounded us all thrown away the keys. Life was a big adventure then, and I used to relish in seeing how fast I could go on my bike and in finding new places to roam around. Having a bike was freedom. There was no thought given to it being good exercise or any of that sort of nonsense. Being on a bike was just simple joy and-above all-a ticket to the wider world, or so we thought at the time. When a boy is on his bike, the world is an open playground. (The same applies to girls, too, but I am simply relating from my own experience.) Grown men aren't really any different when it comes to their cars or motorbikes, either.

Freedom and movement are not qualities one normally associates with the sign of Virgo. The idea of vehicles that can get our Souls through this world and give them freedom of movement within it is, however. As we shall see as this article unfolds, freedom is a big theme with this solar festival. This solar festival is the first of a pair of eclipses, too, this particular one being a partial lunar eclipse on the north node. There are many interesting side-notes and sub-themes going on at the same time, too, so this letter will be a bit longer than usual. The things that are playing out now are important in the wider scheme of things, however, so it is necessary that we take a larger look at things than usual. Eclipses are the triggers for major world events and there are actually four that we need to look at in this letter, because they are all interrelated and the timing for their triggering is very close together at this point in time. With that, let us have a look at Virgo and the aspects of that great sign that are relevant to what is happening around us at this time.

The Service of the Immediate Present

Virgo involves 'the service of the immediately present', and as such, it is a sign that is very much concerned and connected with service. It has been called “a place of slow, gentle-yet powerful crises and periodic developments” – the blinded stage, wherein objective experience still holds sway over the consciousness of the indwelling Soul. For all that people say about Virgo, it is a sign that 'gets things done' and usually causes a bit of friction along the way because it does produce such a purposeful and almost pedantic adherence to good form and right timing in the ministrations of the tasks set before it. In its highest essence, Virgo is the one sign that most closely connects us with our source – our Spirit, for this sign rules over the monadic essence of humanity-our highest expression in this world. Virgo represents both angelic Light and the essence of form, too. It is both the Mother and the Child. It is said that in Virgo, matter and Spirit exchange and support each other. “I am the Mother and the Child. I, God, matter am” is the key note of the sign. The subject is rather abstruse, to be certain, but we could possibly sum up the entire theme of the sign by saying that Virgo enables us to realize both the highest use and expression of our bodies (vehicles) and the very Life-force that called our bodies into being. There is no sign that more greatly emphasizes purity, both of form and of Spirit, than Virgo. That is why it is the one sign that stands out above the rest when it comes to the healing arts. Virgo connects all forms with their divine intent. The best description of the sign is said to be “Christ in you, the hope and glory.”

If there is, perhaps, one word that best describes the modus operandi and raison d'être of Virgo, it would have to be experience. Experience is won through hard work, adherence to the Plan (or human plans), careful attention to detail and through a steady persistence, all for which the typical Virgoan is well known. Just as a mother broods over her child, so the Virgoan broods over their appointed tasks and service. There is a richness of experience that comes through all that hard work, and no one knows the detail of a thing or process better than a Virgo. So, if you ever want to know how something is done, ask a Virgoan. Virgo is known for its sheer capacity for work and service, and that is the true purpose of the Christ Light and principle – to serve until the liberation (purpose) of every last charge is affected. However, in order to gain experience, one must have a vehicle or method for doing so. Life, form and experience are united in Virgo – the oldest of the astrological signs. The Mother is known as the greatest of the angelic host, and it is through the experience of motherhood that humanity comes to know Virgo best. Just as a mother builds the body of the gestating fetus from her own substance, in cooperation with the incoming Soul and with the greater necessities of the Work and of karma, so the Mother builds in cooperation with our planetary Lord as He fulfills His greater purpose and builds his experience through the medium of our planet. We are – each and every one of us – the cells built into the planetary body. Our Spirits are one with the Mother, with the planetary Lord and with the evolving planetary life. It is a great mystery, but it is the crux and the essence of Virgo.

So, we are one with our bodies, yet we are not our bodies. We are one with planetary purpose and pure in that intention, yet we are separate entities, each with our own individual life, purpose and evolution. As we come to know our own bodies, so we come to know our own purpose – or at least the history of that purpose. Most importantly, however, as we come to know our true purpose for life in this world, then we can begin to adapt our vehicles to that service and make them more amenable to the work and service at hand. That is what is always promised and given at this solar festival every year – the adaptation of our lives to the greater purpose at hand and a renewed dedication to serve more fully and effectively. With these points in mind, let us begin to examine what this full moon has in store and on offer to us.

In part 2 of this article, Malvin explores the symbolic meanings of the degrees, the planetary aspects and their links to significant eclipse patterns..

Malvin Artley is an accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers. His primary focus over the past 25 years has been on the sciences as they express occultism and with bridging work between the two. His special interests in those fields are the human subtle energy system and all the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all aspects of Chinese occultism. He sends out periodic emails about astrological happenings and developments. These letters are sent out as a gift and a service. If you wish to be added to or deleted from the mailing list please let me know. If you feel inspired to pass them on please do so, but do so without alteration or charge. They are sent to people of many persuasions, not just astrologers. Blessings. Click here to subscribe to Malvin's periodic letters.